Colombian rum company Dictador has partnered with historic winemaker Niepoort to create a rare limited-edition rum, the Dictador 2 Masters Niepoort.
The expression was launched in Porto, Portugal on 16 June through a virtual event attended by the two masters, fifth-generation Niepoort Master Blender Dirk Van der Niepoort and Dictador Master Blender Hernan Parra. It was also attended by De-Still Creative Founder and former The Macallan Creative Director Ken Grier and hosted by Scotch whisky writer Charles MacLean.
Dictador 2 Masters Niepoort is the ninth and latest addition to Dictador’s 2 Masters line of ultra-premium rums. It is the result of a bold project by Parra, who set out to carve out a new luxury fine rum category, by combining different wines, spirits and blending talents.
For the 2 Masters series, Parra entrusted a portion of Dictador’s vintage rums to a select group of prestigious wine and spirits masters around the world to ‘finish’ the Dictador blends however they saw fit. The goal was for the partners to apply their distinctive blending styles to develop a truly unique, rarefied rum masterpiece.
Previous 2 Masters partnerships include Royal Tokaji, Hardy Cognac, Glenfarclas Distillery, Champagne Leclerc Briant, Château d’Arche Sauternes, Vignobles Despagne, Laballe Armagnac and Barton 1792.
The Dictador 2 Masters Niepoort expression was aged in Port shipping barrels, resulting in a deep red colour with a rich and refined palette. The liquid combines Parra’s master blend of four Dictador vintage rums from 1971, 1974, 1978 and 1980 with Van Der Niepoort’s port and winemaking knowhow. The Dictador rum was aged for 12-16 months in 550 litre pipa barrels, yielding 620 bottles worth of 48% ABV ultra-premium blend.
Niepoort is one of Portugal’s most renowned winemakers and was established in the Douro Valley in 1843. Commenting on their joint creation, Van Der Niepoort said: “Niepoort has a long tradition in the production of old aguardente (wine brand), aged in oak casks, in our cellars. Producing such a special rum with a good friend seems the perfect combination for such a special bottling.”
“Port is a symbol of rich flavours and intense maturity,” Parra added. “To me, Niepoort is the symbol of merging family traditions, high quality products and ever-evolving creativity.
Combining this, it symbolises what this project stands for: the synergy of 2 Masters. Only 620 bottles will be available of this beautiful liquid, so you better be fast!”
The Dictador 2 Masters Niepoort offers tasting notes of rich leather, red cherries, and dark chocolate on the nose, blended with aspects of cola, cardamom, nutmeg marzipan, toffee espresso.
On the palette, the liquid opens with dark chocolate, coconut, bitter orange and fennel flavours, followed by plums, figs and cloves with a big finish.
Dictador has developed an innovative bottle security system to protect the integrity of the rare liquid. The 2 Masters label contains 11 layers of protection which include guillochés, gold paint with UV protection, microtext and typographical numbering and cryptographic technology. The bottle’s special armoured glass is equipped with fingerprint technology that unlocks the safety packaging, making it one of the most protected bottles in the world.
Commenting on the liquid, Grier said: “The liquid combines Niepoort, the best port in the world, with Dictador, the best rum in the world. Taking those two different perspectives sets the groundwork for a truly special investment-grade rum. It’s an incredible product, a fabulous liquid that should be enjoyed.”
Van Der Niepoort added, “It’s strong without being heavy, expressive without being over the top. It’s exactly where I want it to be. We polished the Dictador diamond in a subtle and beautifully balanced way through a real interaction between two different masters.”
